WE ARE WOMEN | THE PODCAST 17Optimism

Hosted by Viv Groskop

This special edition of the We Are Women podcast sees us in the heart of Edinburgh’s Fringe festival, where our new Edinburgh boutique has opened. Our host, Viv Groskop, will be joined by Ruby Wax OBE, comedian Lucy Porter and award-winning writer Matt Haig to talk about optimism.

Ruby Wax

“It does not come naturally to me; my drug of choice is rage but I think it’s something we can change- if we work hard at it. It’s just like if you didn’t practice standing when you were a child you wouldn’t stand, if you didn’t practice English, you wouldn’t be speaking.”

ON OVERCOMING PESSIMISM…

“I found out that 98% of your DNA is shared with great apes, 35% of your DNA is shared with yeast and 25% with bananas – so get over yourself. We’re getting stressed about stress and need to upgrade our minds like we’ve upgraded technology.”

Lucy Porter

“At the end of each festival I’m always optimistic for next year – how it will be even more crazy, fun and an even more unforgettable time. So far, I’ve never been wrong, and I’ve been doing Fringe since 1992.”

ON WHETHER OPTIMISM IS INHERITED…

“I think if I’ve got it [optimism] from anyone, it’s my mum. She would always look on the bright side and be the type of person who would say, “If you’ve lost your legs at least you’ll save money on shoes”.”

Matt Haig

“I used to be the ultimate pessimist and something happened somewhere in my 30s where I stopped. It was my experience with mental illness that has made me more optimistic. If you go to a dark place, then find the light within it, optimism is more powerful.”

ON HOW TO BE MORE MINDFUL…

“It’s easier said than done, and I’m still a work-in-progress – ‘aim not to get more stuff done but aim to have less stuff to do.'”